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CCHS alumni share sports media success experiences at the University of Tennessee

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Pictured above are CCHS alumni Riley Haltom and Presley Rhodes on the set of the Volunteer News.

By Kendall Patterson
CCI Sports Editor

Two Chester County alumni, Riley Haltom and Presley Rhodes, seniors at the University of Tennessee, have found a home behind the microphone and in front of the camera and are making valuable experiences in the sports media world.
Haltom started his path in sports information while writing for the Chester County Independent while he was a senior at Chester County High School. Since then, Haltom has served as a writer for Sports Illustrated’s Vol affiliate and is the sports executive producer at The Volunteer Channel, a co-Sports Director at WUTK 90.3 The Rock and does sports photography for both outlets.
Haltom explained how earning the position of co-Sports Director at WUTK 90.3 The Rock is an honor due to the difficulty to get the position.
Sports Director at WUTK is a tough position to get, and [it’s] one with some exciting alumni, like the voice of the Tennessee Titans, Mike Keith. I knew it was going to take a lot of work to land the position, but as soon as I was introduced to the station in the spring of my freshman year, I knew it was going to be an ambition of mine,” he said.
With that ambition, he pursued multiple opportunities and mentioned how he is grateful for the experiences he has been able to make and knowledge he has been able to gain in the variety of roles.
“Going to a massive college like Tennessee, I knew the opportunities would be numerous and very beneficial, but also extremely competitive. I didn’t expect to have the opportunities I did so early, but thankfully the student leaders at the time recognized my passion for sports media,” he said. “I’m super thankful for the things I’ve gotten to do as producer for Vol News and Torch Sports. Covering games comes to mind as the most exciting, like being on the sideline for Tennessee’s historic win over Alabama, but the interviews I’ve set up with athletes and coaches are just as interesting.”
His favorite part about it all “is getting to completely redefine what sports media at UT looks like.”
“Torch Sports is a completely new show, reorganized from a previous show, and I’m very proud of the work I did to make Torch Sports the success it is now, with it only standing to improve when this next group of students that will take it over when I graduate. When I got involved with Torch Sports, it was a totally different show. Different name, different content. The producers then were both seniors and they brought me in for my experience. A few exceptional individuals took over with me and these individuals, particularly my current creative director Jackson Shock, were integral in redefining what we do. We revamped our content to be more entertainment, debate, and discussion as opposed to news, and have continued to expand our content into new ideas all with the idea of entertainment at the core. Vol News has a sports segment, they handle the hard news. Torch Sports is there to entertain.”
Now a senior at the University of Tennessee, Haltom is unsure which sports media career he will pursue, but he is enjoying mostly all of the different media roles now.
“I don’t know where I’ll end up in sports media, but I’m enjoying writing, podcasting, producing, photography and doing radio the most right now. It’ll be a matter of finding the opportunity that’s right for me and capitalizing.”
Rhodes’ college sports media experiences are just as impressive.
This summer, Rhodes has been interning with Peyton Manning’s company, Omaha Productions, as part of the audio team to help produce podcasts.
Rhodes shared the memorable parts of her sports media journey at the University of Tennessee and different aspects that are special to her.
“I think the highlight of everything is just being able to work for and study towards what I enjoy the most, and being able to do it with my friends. Other than Riley, all of my best friends that I have met at UT have been through journalism classes with me or are in Vol News with me. College is college, and classes of course are still classes, but there’s a small part of me that still enjoys waking up and going to class to be able to learn about something that is my passion. At Omaha, my passion for sports has turned into my job and I think that’s a big blessing that some people don’t have the opportunity to say that they do. Currently, I serve as a producer for the Rocky Top Sports Report for Vol News, along with Riley. We organize the content for the week, and then when we are not anchoring, we mentor and help the new and incoming anchors! Last semester, with the help of my professor and mentor, Brittany Tarwater, I had the opportunity to interview Coach Rick Barnes and Dalton Knecht, which was insane. As a basketball fan, getting to sit down with someone so successful as Rick Barnes and then also sit in front of, a now Lakers player, Dalton Knecht, was the coolest thing in the world and without the help of my professor I wouldn’t have done that,” she said.
Rhodes continued to express how making connections is invaluable for her.
“Building connections with my peers and professors has been the most rewarding thing ever and I will always stress the importance of connections in this field, and even college as a whole,” she said.
Rhodes still cannot decide what sports media route she will want to pursue from her love of all of them, but she still has a dream job that she desires to have one day.
“I don’t think I could ever pinpoint an exact career that I am striving for. I have always said being a sports broadcaster, or sideline reporter is my dream job, and it without a doubt still is, but there are so many different paths I could take and still be in the field that I love, which is sports. Omaha has given me the opportunity to see the production and entertainment side of things, which I am definitely not opposed to. I think my “dream job” would be to work for the Memphis Grizzlies, or Tennessee Titans as a reporter one day,” she said.
For both Haltom and Rhodes, the fact that they made a connection and friendship long ago growing up in Chester County and now being co-workers at Vol News is wild to them both but very special and makes the experiences even better.
“Presley and I were friends through high school, so us going to UT and doing sports media together has made us even better friends. She is always dependable and it makes it so much easier to have a familiar face there to support you throughout all the craziness that happens on a day-to-day basis. I’m super thankful to Presley for both her friendship and reliability. If I need something done, I know she’ll go above and beyond to take care of it,” Haltom said.
“Riley and I have been friends since the very beginning of high school and I still consider him one of my best friends. We both earned the honor of holding producer positions for the Volunteer Channel. We tackled high school together as friends, and both leaders of our class, and now we are doing the same thing in college, leading our student media shows at the Volunteer Channel. I will never lie to anyone; we butt heads a lot. Sometimes I have to explain to people around us we are like siblings and aren’t two strangers arguing with each other! I wouldn’t have it any other way though. Riley has given me some pretty good connections and opportunities himself, and I will always repay the favor to him. I could never speak highly enough of the work he does and the talent he has. There are not many people who can say they’ve been friends, and in some ways ‘coworkers’ with someone for as long as me and Riley have and it is the sweetest thing ever.”

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